“It’s a disease, it’s an illness” – Aaron Connolly opens up about alcohol addiction

The 24-year-old signed for Sunderland last month.

Republic of Ireland striker Aaron Connolly has bravely spoken out about his struggles with alcohol addiction as part of World Mental Health Day.

The Galway native signed for Sunderland on 24th September after several months without a club.

In an interview posted to his new club's website, Connolly opened up on his years of off-the-field turmoil while on the books at Brighton and Hove Albion.

The attacker from Oranmore burst onto the Premier League scene as a teenager for Brighton and Hove Albion scoring twice in a 3-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur - a day which cruelly sparked a downward spiral in his career and his life.

"I remember it, 5^th October 2019, it was a 12:30 kick-off" he said. "I’m never going to forget that day, it was one of the best days of my life but it was also one of the worst as well.

"That’s probably the start of when my career started to go downhill and really it should have been carrying on upwards.  

"I just stopped doing the things that got me to that position where I felt so comfortable on the biggest stage. I just stopped working hard and you can’t do it. People always say hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work harder. I never ever thought about whether that was true but that was in my case."

He continued: "I decided at the end of July that it was too much. I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t live the way I was living because it was killing people around me to be honest. My family, my friends. Mainly, it was killing me really. I had one of my best seasons at Hull last year but off the pitch, my life was a mess.

"I just feel like (speaking about) this will help people if I am being completely honest. I had everything that any young boy would dream of and I just couldn’t get hold of my addiction. It is an addiction.

"It was the toughest thing I ever had to do, to go in there (treatment centre). This isn’t just about how football is."

Connolly added: "I can’t describe how good it has been here. After the last few months, it’s great to just be back playing football. I’ve had a tough few months so to be around a good group of people, good gaffer and good coaching staff, just in general good people.

"I feel refreshed. I feel like that young kid that came to England again. I’ve got a purpose, I don’t have the weight of everything on my shoulders again. I feel like that 15-year-old that came to Brighton and was chasing a goal. My goal again now is to get this club back to the Premier League."

If you're affected by any of the subject matter in this article, you can avail of emotional support from Samaritans by emailing jo@samaritans.ie or calling on 116 123.